Save Scottish Seas

Running history of MPAs in Scotland

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This timeline is not a comprehensive history of marine conservation in Scotland (although this would be a welcome and worthy project!). It tries instead to quickly summarise the key legislative stages and events in the development of a network of Marine Protected Areas in Scotland over recent years alongide the broader UK and international context. For a longer, more detailed overview of the development of marine conservation in the UK, see the excellent topic note from the UK MPA centre which charts marine conservation legislation and policy in the UK up until 2007.

1984
St Abbs and Eyemouth VMNR established, Scotland’s first and still only Voluntary Marine Nature Reserve

1986
Lundy becomes the first statutory Marine Nature Reserve in the UK

1992
UK Government signs the EC Habitats Directive which includes provisions for marine habitats

2002
World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg (MPAs by 2012)

2002
Defra publish ‘Safeguarding our Seas: a strategy for the conservation and sustainable development of our marine environment’
MCS launches Scottish Environment LINKs ‘Seas fit for Scotland’ at MCS conference in Edinburgh, acknowledging new legislation could provide solution to many of the problems highlighted

2005
(UK) Marine Bill announced
Defra publishes ‘Charting Progress: an integrated assessment of the state of UK seas’

2006
(UK) Marine Bill consultation

2007
Scottish Marine Bill announced

2008
20th September Scotland’s first Community Marine Conservation Area (and No Take Zone) created in Lamlash Bay, Isle of Arran (using provisions under the Inshore Fisheries Act 1984)
Scottish Environment LINK publishes Finding NIMAs report
‘Sustainable Seas for All’ published outlining Scottish Government’ proposals for sustainable management of the marine environment and proposals for the Scottish Marine Bill

November 11th – public consultation on management of 19 nature conservation MPAs and marine SACs (for management of high-risk marine features). The consultation options meant that the most damaging fishing activity could continue across many of Scotland’s new MPAs.

2015

January – Scottish Environment LINK’s marine taskforce launches “#DontTakeTheP out of MPAs” campaign, urging Marine Scotland to adopt a less zonal approach to management and stronger management measures for the most damaging fishing methods.

June – Marine Scotland publish consultation analysis. In response to widespread calls for stronger management and accounting for protection of other lower-risk features, the Scottish Government outlines draft management measures for each site (using Fishing Orders and Marine Conservation Orders).

January – The Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment committee voted against motions to annul the South Arran MPA Marine Conservation Order and omnibus Inshore Fishing Order 2015, to ensure protection for 11 inshore MPAs and SACs proceeds (see February). Demonstrations for and against the MPA protection measures were held outside the Scottish Parliament ahead of the Committee session. The Scottish Government invited responses to a proposal from SIFT for a Regulating Order (RO) for Nephrops and King Scallop in the Firth of Clyde. The Scottish Government later decides not to take the proposals forward, underlining the importance of integrating fisheries management into the emerging Clyde Marine Plan.

May – The Holyrood elections lead to a third term in Government for the SNP, as a minority administration. The SNP manifesto commits them to help protect rare, threatened, declining or nationally representative species, promote the sustainable development of our seas and meet Scotland’s international obligations to ensure healthy seas. The Rural Affairs, Climate Change and Environment portfolio is split between two new posts: Fergus Ewing as Rural Economy and Connectivity Cabinet Secretary and Roseanna Cunningham as Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Cabinet Secretary.

June –The UK electorate as a whole votes to leave the European Union, whilst Scotland votes unanimously by Local Authority area to remain, opening up challenges and opportunities to strengthen the existing environmental regulations based on EU law. This includes the Birds and Habitats Directives that underpin the Natura 2000 network (Special Protection Areas and Special Areas of Conservation). Roseanna Cunningham pledges to maintain environmental laws as uncertainty around our future relationship with the European Union unfolds.

July – Scottish Natural Heritages launches a consultation to classify 10 Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for marine birds in Scotland’s inshore waters. If well managed, these sites will help improve the prospects of some of the world’s most rare and vulnerable marine birds. Read the LINK response to the consultation here.

August – The European Parliament prohibits damaging bottom trawling below 800m in European Union waters (EEZs) of the North Sea and northeast Atlantic Ocean. It also prohibits bottom-trawling by EU vessels in the international waters of the central Atlantic off West Africa outside of the Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands EEZs.

September – Scottish Ministers approve the designation of the Inner Hebrides and Minches SAC for harbour porpoise and the site is submitted to the European Commission as a candidate site. If accepted this would be the largest conservation area for the marine species in Europe!

October – A consultation on the updated Small Isles Marine Conservation Order launches. Roseanna Cunningham announces the designation of Fair Isle Demonstration and Research MPA and Historic MPA for Wreck of Iona I at the Marine Conservation Society annual conference in Edinburgh. The Scottish Government launches a consultation on fisheries management within 13 offshore MPAs and SACs, a welcome stride forward for offshore marine conservation. The proposed measures will help protect many fragile designated features, preventing some from further decline. Read more on the LINK response here.LINK members give evidence to the ECCLR committee, including highlighting concerns with measuring progress for biodiversity at sea and limited capacity for management and monitoring Scotland’s MPA network.

November – The Scottish Government launches a consultation on a further five SPAs, four in Scotland’s offshore waters (Seas of St. Kilda pSPA, Seas off Foula pSPA, Pentland Firth pSPA, and Outer Firth of Forth and St Andrews Bay Complex pSPA), and one spanning into the north west of England (Solway Firth pSPA).

December – Marine Scotland publish the Small Isles Marine Conservation Order for managing fishing in Small Isles MPA. The Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform committee write to Cabinet Secretary Roseanna Cunningham regarding Scotland’s progress towards achieving the 2020 Aichi Targets, highlighting the opportunity marine planning provides, concerns around the resources and needed capacity to support sustainable management and asking how the Scottish Government intends to tackle the ‘claimed “gaps in (MPA) coverage”’.

2017

February – The Scottish Government publish a report on the socio-economic monitoring of Scotland’s Inshore MPAs since management plans were put in place in late 2015. The report finds no significant socio-economic impact of the management measures to date.

May – Cabinet Secretary Roseanna Cunningham designates the Loch Carron Emergency Nature Conservation MPA to protect and recover flame shell beds following documented damage to the beds after dredge activity in the area. This is the first time that the emergency designation powers have been used since the Marine (Scotland) Act was introduced in 2010 and the designation will take immediate effect.

June – Scottish Government’s strategy for Monitoring Scotland’s Network of Marine Protected Areas is announced at the second Sea Scotland Conference. The Strategy provides the direction for a new approach to site-based monitoring in
the Scottish marine environment, to ensure MPAs have the right measures in place to reach their conservation objectives. The scheme will seek to involve the fishing industry and local communities in data collection and is a welcome and urgently needed step to increase the knowledge base of Scotland’s MPAs and marine ecosystems.

July – 3rd July marked the three year anniversary since the proposal of four nature conservation MPAs for the protection of mobile species, sandeels and important marine habitats.

September – Members of the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee take a site visit to the Loch Sunart to Sound of Jura MPA. The Scottish Government Programme for Government 2017-2018 is announced, outlining plans to create a research programme on Scotland’s blue carbon stores; review protection for priority marine features outside of MPAs; explore options for a Deep Sea National Marine Reserve; review the National Marine Plan; take significant steps to reduce marine litter introduce a deposit return scheme for plastic.

2018

January

Members of Scottish Parliament committed to provide additional resources for the development of four nature conservation Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) including for some of Scotland’s most iconic mobile species by the end of 2018.

March
The Scottish Government launched a consultation to permanently designate the Loch Carron Marine Protected Area and implement fisheries management measures.